Method of and machine for finishing the edges of sheet material



p l 1932- .1. B. COFFEY I 1,855,223

METHOD OF AND MACHINE FDR FINISHING THE EDG'ES OF SHEET MATERIAL Filed June 29, 1929 2 Sheets-Sheet l A ril 26, 1932. B, CO'FFEY 1,855,223

METHOD OF AND MACHINE FOR FINISHING THE EDGES OF SHEET MATERIAL Filed June 29, 1929 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Apr. 26, 1932 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE JOHN B. COFFEY OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO UNITED SHOE MACHINERY CORPORATION, OF PATERSON, NEW JERSEY, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY METHOD OF AND MACHINE FOR FINISHING THE EDGES OF SHEET MATERIAL Application filed June '29,

50f pieces of upper leather which are to be used in the manufacture of boots and shoes.

A method in common use for finishing the raw edge of a piece of upper leather consists in applying to the flesh side of the leather along an edge thereof a degree of heat suflicient to shrink the flesh side and thereby.

cause the grain side to curl toward the flesh side so as to produce an edge which is all ain. The same method is also used on split 1 leather in which case the finished side is I caused to curl toward the unfinished side.

Hitherto the heat has been applied to the leather by subjecting its margin to the radiant heat of a metallic tool which has been raised to a high temperature. The tool is necessarily narrow, so as to apply the heat to a narrow area along the edge of the work, and short so as to permit it to operate along a sharply curved edge. Certain kinds of leather, for example, thick split leather of certain tannages, require a comparatively large amount of heat which can be applied only by causin the traverse of the leather by the tool to be comparatively slow; and the speed with which any leather can be treated is limited by the temperature to which it is practical to raise the small metallic tool.

In order then to facilitate the treatment of refractory leather, such as the splits referred to above, as well as to s eed up the finishing operation upon all kin s of leather, the invention, in one of its aspects, consists in treating the mar in of the work with the direct heat of a ame in such manner as to cause the untreated side to curl toward the treated side. A flame, such for example as that of an oxy-acetylene burner, can be made exceedingly hot and can be controlled so as to cause the heat to be confined to; a small area of the work. By the use of a flame which is very small and intensely hot, the proper ,amount of heat may thus be applied to the desired locality. An effect of the application of intense heat is to render the leather temporarily plastic; and preferably, immediate- 1929. Serial No. 374,675.

ly after the edge has been curled by the shrinking action referred to above, the more or less plasticedge is pressed, for example, hammered, to compact and round the'edge. In another aspect the invention relates to a machine by the use of which the method may be practised. The illustrated machine comprises a support for the leather piece over which the work is fed, and a burner arranged to direct a flame upon one side of a narrow margin along a selected edge of the piece. The flame is a small one which may be caused to act upon just the desired locality on the work; and its temperature is high enough to be effective to perform the searing and shrinking operation so rapidly that the work may be fed rapidly past it. The flame burns continuously, the burner being normally held in inoperative position above the work sup port and being controlled by a treadle .by manipulation of which the burner may be moved to and held in operative position. In

order to protect the machine from the heat of the flame as well as to remove the fumes which result from the searing action of the flame, a member of asbestos or other refractory material is provided with a chamber in V its upper portion to receive the flame, when i the burner is in inoperative position, and with a passageway leading to a flue for carrying away the dust and fumes when the burner is in operative position.

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Fig. 1 is a front elevation of amachine by the (i186 of which the method may be practise Fig. 2 is a perspective of a piece of leather after it has been operated upon;

Fig. 3 is a perspective showing the relative positions of the plow or turning post and the guard member;

Fig. 4 is a perspective showing more in detail the work-engaging parts of the machine;

Fig. 5 is an end elevation of the parts shown in Fig. 4; I

Fig. 6 is a perspective of the guard or shield member;

Fig. 7 is a perspective of the extreme end of-the tip of the burner; and

Referring now to the accompanying draw- I Fig. 8 is a detail principally in section, showing a piece of leather in the process of being operated upon.

Figs. 3 to 8 inclusive are upon enlarged scales as compared with Fig. 1, Fig. 7 being upon a scale which is greatly enlarged.

The purpose of the machine, as has been indicated above, is to finish the edge of a piece of leather or similar material by causing the leather to shrink along the edge on one side, usually the flesh side, whereby the other side, usually the grain side, curls toward the flesh side so that the finished edge presents a grain surface. In Fig. 2 the piece of leather is indicated at 100, the grain side at 300, and the flesh side at 200. The margin of the leather on one side along an edge of the leather has been shrunk; and the grain side has curled toward the flesh side so that the grain surface extends as far as the line 400.

In order to produce this result the leather piece is fed away from the observer, as viewed in Figs'l and 8, over a table 9 with the margin bent up somewhat by a plow or turning post 11 and while so bent up is subjected to the action of an exceedinglyhot flame 13 made by burning acetylene mixed with oxygen, said mixture being conducted through the tip 15 of a suitable burner. The plow not only bends up the margin of the leather so as to present it properly to the fiame but facilitates the location of the leather on the table and the guiding of the leather through the machine. In order to insure that only a narrow margin shall be operated upon, there is provided a guard or shield member 19. In Fig. 6, this member is shown in full lines. In Fig. 3 it is shown in dotted lines in the position which it occupies with respect to the plow '1 or turning post.

The operative portion of the member 19 is the small cross bar 119 at its outer end, this bar being located along one side of the plow 11 and serving not only as a shield or guard for the flame but as a presser to aid in holding the leather down upon the support. The plow 11 is cut away, as indicated at 20 in Fig. 3, to permit any portion of the flame which may be deflected from the leather to pass through it. Located on the farther side of the plow, as viewed in Figs. 1 and 8, is a hammer 28 (Fig.5). -The leather is fed away from the observer as viewed in Figs. 1 and 8; and during this feed movement is progressively shrunk on one side of the margin so as to cause the unshrunkenside to curl toward the shrunken side.

The more or less plastic leather is progressively acted upon by the hammer which rounds the edge somewhat and causes the grain of the leather to extend well over upon the flesh side.

The feed mechanism comprises a four-motion upper feed member and a lower feed member 27 which moves back and forth in the line of feed. The hammer is vibrated rapidly about a pivot not shown. The feed members and the hammer, as well as the mechanism for operating them, are substantially the same as those shown in Letters Pat ent No. 1,599,518, granted September 14, 1926 upon an application filed in the name of J oseph Fossa and will not be further described.

In order to hold the leather firmly upon the table 9, there is provided a presser wheel 29 rotatably mounted at one end of a small rod 31, the other end of which is clamped to the hub 33 of a rockshaft 35. This rockshaft has fast to it an arm 37 (Fig. 5) to which is attached the lower end of a spring 39, the upper end of the spring being fast to a small flat bar 41 which is received in a slot in a bracket 43. The bar has pins 44 any one of which may be caused to rest upon the upper surface of the bracket 43 and is provided with a handle 45 for manipulating the bar. The arm 37 is normally held in contact with a stop screw 47. It is thus possible to adjust the normal position of the presser wheel 29 above the table and to vary the tension of the spring 39.

The guard member 19 is horizontally slidable in a slot in the underside of 'a block 49 which has an upright stem, the guard being adjustably held by means of a screw 51 which passes through a slot in the block 49 and is threaded into the guard member. The upright stem of the block 49 is vertically slid able in a second block 53, there being a screw 55 which extends into a conical recess in the stem of the block 49. The block 53 is fast to a bar 57 which is slidable in a horizontal guideway formed in the frame of the machine. A thumb screw 59 threaded into the end of the bar and having a collar 60 which is received in a groove in the frame provides means for adjusting the bar and thereby adjusting the guard member in a direction transverse to the direction of feed of the leather. A set screw 61 locks the bar in adjusted position. In order to exert downward pressure upon the stem of the block 49, there is fastened by a screw 63 to the block 53 an upri ht cylindrical member 65. A hollow sleeve 6 threaded into this cylindrical member has a vertical bore to receive a small rod 69. A compression spring 71 is located between the bottom of the sleeve 67 and the top of a collar 73 which is fast to the rod 69. With this construction it is possible to vary the tension of the spring 71 by turning the hollow sleeve 67, after which the sleeve may be held from movement by the lock nut 68. It is also possible to adjust the guard member 19 up and down by manipulating the screw 55 and to adjust it in a direction at an angle to the line of feed after the screw 51 has been loosened.

The burner comprises the tip 15 at its lower end, a mixing chamber 75 at its upper end, and a pipe 77 connecting the two. The

tip. 15 is a small copper tube having a row of very small holes 79 in its'lower flattened end,

as shown on a greatly enlarged scale in Fig. 7. The flame thus has the form of a small thin fiat brush. The tip.15 has a collar at its upper end, as shown in Fig. 8, which is clamped to the pipe-77by a hollow cap 81 threaded upon the lower end of the pipe. It is thus possible to remove a tip and replace it with one having a greater or less number of outlet holes whenever it is desired to apply more or less heat to the work. Into the mixing chamber lead two small pipes 83, 85, which are supplied through flexible tubes 87, 89 respectively, with oxygen and with acetylene from pressure tanks not shown. The flow of the gases is controlled by the usual regulators in the outlets of the tanks. The 20 burner operates continuously and is adapted to be moved in a manner presently to be described, from the inoperative positions shown in Figs. 1, 4 and 5 to the operative position shown in Fig. 8. In so moving it moves bodily downward-as well as angularly about an axis presently to be described'.' When the burner is in'inoperative position the flame is directed into an open-sided chamber 90 which is cut in a block of asbestos 92, or similar refractory material. When the burner is in operative position, the fumes which result from the action of the flame upon the leather are directed into a passageway 94 leading through the hollow arm 98 to a pipe 96, which in turn leads to the flue of a chimney.

When the burner is in its operative position, as shown in Fig. 8, the tip 15 is inclined downwardly .to the plane of the work and outwardly of the work toward the extreme margin thereof. The jet of burning gas under pressure is thus directed downwardly and outwardly with respect to the work as it lies upon the work support, this downward and outward inclination of the jet not only aiding in the application of the heat to a narrow margin of the work but also facilitating the withdrawal of the burned gases by blowing the gases into the chamber in the asbestos member 92.

The movement of the burner from inoperative to operative position is brought about by rocking a lever 91 (Fig. 1). This lever is pivoted at 93 to the stationary arm 98. A spring 95, fastened at one end to the lever, is coiled about the pivot and has its other end extended beneath the lever. A stop screw 198 limits the extent to which the lever may be moved by the spring. The'lever 91 is rocked through a bell-crank lever 97 by depressing a treadle, not shown, which is attached to the lower end of a treadle rod 99.

The burner is connected to the lever and to a stationary part of the machine in the following manner: A carrier 101 (Figs. 4 and 65 5) has a bore through which the pipe 77 of the burner is slidable. The carrier is split and can be tightened about the pipe by a pinch screw 103. The carrier has a cylindrical stem extending loosely through an eccentric bushing 105 mounted in a bore on the outer end of the lever 91, said bushing being held in adjusted angular position by a set screw 107. The cylindrical stem of the carrier 101 has a reduced outer end to receive a washer 109 and nuts 111. \Vith this construction, rocking the lever 91 would raise and lower the burner but would not move it in the path which has been described above. In order to cause the burner to move angularly, as well as bodily, it carries a roller 113 which runs in a cam slot 115 out in a stationary bracket 117. The roller 113 is not carried directly by the burner but is mounted at the upper end of a dove-tail guide-bar 119, the hub at the lower end of which is rotatably mounted on' the cylindrical stem of the carrier 101. The guide-bar is received in a guideway formed in the side of the mixing chamber of the burner. An adjusting screw 121 threaded into the carrier 101 and held from movement with respect to the burner, provides means for adjusting the burner up and,down on the guide 119. With this construction the burner is normally held in inoperative position, as shown in Fi s. 1, 4, and 5; and when the treadle rod 99 is pulled down, the burner will swing down about the pivot 93 and at the same time rotate slightly in a clockwise direction about the axis of the stem of the carrier 101, due to the action of 100 the cam slot 115, so as to cause the burner finally to occupy the position shown in Fig. 8. The burner may be adjusted up and down toward and from the work by manipulating the screw 121 and may be adjusted back and 105 forth in a direction transverse to the line of feed by adjusting the eccentric bushing 105.

The operation of the machine is as fol lows The operator depresses a treadle, not 110 shown, to throw into operation the hammer and the feed mechanism. He then presents .the leather in the position shown in Fig. 8

and depresses the treadle rod 99 to move the burner into operative position. Thereafter he guides the leather through the machine. The work is thus fed intermittently past the flame which acts upon the margin to shrink I it in the manner which has been described above and immediately thereafter the shrunken margin is acted upon by the hammer. During this time the fumes which are caused by the action of the flame enter the passageway 94 and pass out through the pipe 96. When the leather piece has been entirely operated upon, the treadle rod 99 is released whereupon the burner is returned to inopeative position.

Having thus described my invention, what shrunken side, and thereafter subjecting the curled edge to pressure.

2. The method of finishing the edge of a piece of leather which comprises treating one side of the leather along the margin with a thin flat flame under high pressure extending substantially parallel to the edge of the leather, said flame being sufliciently hot to cause the treated side to shrink, permitting the unshrunken side to curl toward the shrunken side, and thereafter hammering the curled edge.

3. The method of finishing the edge of a piece of leather which comprises subjecting the flesh side of the leather piece along the edge to a thin flat flame under high pressure extending substantially parallel to the edge of the leather, said flame being sufliciently hot to causethe flesh side to shrink, confining the contact of the flame with the leather to a narrow area along said edge, and permitting the. grain side to curl toward the flesh side to cause the edge of the leather to present a grain surface.

4;. The method of finishing the edge of piece of leather which comprises feeding the leather piece progressively over a support with a narrow margin on one side of the leather exposed, and directing upon the exposed margin a thin flat flame under high pressure extending substantially parallel to the edge of the leather, said flame being sufficiently hot to shrink the leather in the 10- cality acted upon by the flame.

5. A machine for finishing the edge of a piece of leather having in combination a support for the leather piece, a burner for directing a thin flat flame under pressure upon a margin of the piece, and means for. producing relative movement between the burner and the'leather piece'to cause the margin only to be traversed by the flame.

6. A machine for finishing the edge of a piece of leather having in combination a support for the leather piece, a burner for directing a flame upon a margin of the piece, means for adjusting the burner in one direction toward and from the work support and in another direction toward and from the edge of the piece, and means forproducing relative movement between the burner and the leather piece to cause the margin only to be traversed by the flame.

A machine for finishing the edge of a piece of leather having in combination a support for the piece, a burner having a row of small orifices in its operative end for treating one side of the piece along an edge thereof with a flame, and means for confining the application of the flame to a narrow area along said edge.

8. A machine for finishing the edge of a piece of leather having in combination a support for the leather piece, means for feeding the piece over the support, a burner normally held in inoperative position, and treadle-controlled means acting to move the burner bodily and angularly into a position in which its flame is directed upon the margin of the piece.

9. A machine for finishing the edge of a piece of leather having in combination a support for the leather piece, a burner adapted to direct aflame upon the margin of the piece, means for supplying a mixture of an inflammable gas and oxygen under high pressure to the burner so as to force the hot gas into the leather, and means for producing relative movement between the burner and the leather piece to cause the margin of the latter to be traversed by the flame.

10. A machine for finishing the edge of a piece of leather having in combination a support for the leather piece, a burner for directing a flame upon the margin of the piece, operator-controlled means for holding the burner in operative or in inoperative position, and a member of refractory material adapted to receive the heat of the flame when the burner is in inoperative position, said member having a passageway located to receive the fumes caused by the action of the flame upon the leather when the burner is in operative position.

11. A machine for finishing the edge of a piece of leather having in combination a support for the leather piece, means for feeding the piece over the support, a burner for directing a flame upon the margin of the piece, means for holding the burner in operative or in inoperative position. and a member of refractory material having a chamber to receive the heat of the flame when the burner is in inoperative position and having a passageway to receive the fumes caused by the action of the flame upon the leather when the burner is in operative position.

12. A machine for finishing the edge of a piece of leather having, in combination, a support for the leather, means for directing upon the margin of the leather a thin flat flame under pressure sufficiently hot to cause shrinking of the treated side of the leather to occur upon momentary application of the flame to it, .and means for causing the margin along one side of the leather to be traversed by the flame.

13. A machine for finishing the edge of a piece of leather having in combination, a support for the leather piece, means for feeding the piece over the support, a burner coniprising a tip having a small orifice, means for conducting a mixture of oxygen and an inflammable gas under pressure to the burner whereby an lntensely hot flame may be directed upon the margin of the leather piece, and a shield arranged to confine the contact of the flame with the leather to a narrow area along the edge of the leather.

14. A machine for finishing the edge of a piece of leather having, in combination, a support for the leather piece, means for feeding the piece over the support, a burner comprising a tip having a small orifice, means for conducting a mixture of oxygen and an inflammable gas under pressure to the burner whereby an intensely hot flame may be directed upon the margin of the leather piece, a shield arranged to confine the contact of the flame with the leather to a narrow area along the edge of the leather, means for normally holding said burner in inoperative position, and operator-controlled means for moving it instantly into and holding it in a predetermined operative position.

15. A machine for finishing the edge of a piece of leather having, in combination, a support for the leather piece, means for feedin g the piece over the support, a burner com prising a small tip having a row of small orifices, means for conducting a mixture of oxygen and an inflammable gas under pressure to the burner whereby an intensely hot thin flame is directed upon the leather piece, and a shield arranged to confine the contact of the flame with the leather to a narrow area along the edge of the leather.

16. A machine for finishing the edge of a piece of leather having, in combination, a

support for the leather piece, means for feed ing the piece over the support, a burner comprising a small tip having a row of small orifices, means for conducting a mixture of oxygen and an inflammable .gas under pressure to the burner whereby an intensely hot thin flame is directed upon the leather piece, a shield arranged to confine the contact of the flame with the leather to a narrow area along the edge of the leather, said burner being normally held in inoperative position, and treadle-operated means for moving it into and holding it in a predetermined operative position.

17. A machine for finishing the edge of a piece of leather having, in combination, a support for the piece, a member of refractory material, a burner normally held in position to direct a flame against said member, and operator-controlled means for moving the burner instantly into position to direct the flame upon the extreme margin of the nece.

l 18; A machine for finishing the edge of a piece of leather having, in combination, a

5 support for the leather piece, a burner having a small orifice, and means for conducting a mixture of gases under pressure to the burner whereby a small, intensely hot jet of flame may be projected from it, said burner being constructed and arranged to direct this small hot jet at an inclination to the plane of the leather downwardly and outwardly of the leather piece toward the extreme margin thereof whereby the unheated side of the margin of the leather curls toward the heated side.

19. A machine for finishing the edge of a piece of leather having, in combination, a support for the leather piece, a burner having a small orifice, means for conducting a mixture of gases under pressure to the burner whereby a small, intensely hot jet of flame may be projected from it, said burner being constructed and arranged to direct this small hot jet at an inclination to the planeof the leather downwardly and outwardly of the leather piece toward the extreme margin thereof whereby the unheated side of the margin of the leather curls toward the heated side, and means for subjecting the curled edge to pressure.

20. A machine for finishing the edge of a piece of leather having, in combination, a support for the leather piece, a burner having a small orifice, means for conducting a mixture of gases under pressure to the burner whereby a small, intensely hot jet of flame may be projected from it, said burner being constructed and arranged to direct this small hot jet at an inclination to the plane of the leather downwardly and outwardly of the leather piece toward the extreme margin thereof whereby the unheated side of the margin of the leather curls toward the heated sidde, and means for hammering the curled e ge.

21. A machine for finishing the edge of a piece of leather having, in combination, a support for the leather piece, a burner having a small orifice, means for conducting a mixture of gases under pressure to the bumer whereby a small intensely hot jet of flame may be projected from it, said burner being constructed and arranged to direct this small hot jet downwardly at an inclination to the plane of the leather piece and outwardly of the leather piece toward the edge thereof, and a member of refractory material located close to the edge of the work and having a chamber toreceive the hot burned gases.

22. The method of finishing the edge of a piece of leather which comprises subjecting a narrow area on one side of the leather along the margin to a jet of burning gas under pressure directed downwardly at an inclination to the plane of the body of the work and outwardly of the work toward the said margin thereof to cause the unheated side of the leather to curl toward the heated side.

23. The method of finishing the edge of a piece of leather which comprises subjecting a narrow area on one side of the leather along the margin to a jet of burning gas under pressure directed downwardly at an inclination to the plane of the body of the work and outwardly of the work toward the said margin thereof to cause the unheated side of the leather to curl-toward the heated side,

and thereafter hammering the curled edge.

24. The method of finishing the edge of a piece of leather which comprises sub ecting a narrow area on one side of the leather along the margin thereof to a thin flat jet of burning 15 gas under pressure, said flame being applied to the work in a locality parallel to the edge of the work and being directed downwardly at an inclination to the plane of the work and outwardly of the work toward the said margin thereof to cause the unheated side of the 56 shield 7 leather to curl toward the heated side and thereafter hammering the curled edge.

25. The method of finishing the edge of a piece of leather which comprises sub ecting the flesh side of the leather along the edge to a jet of burning gas under'pressure directed downwardly at an inclination to the plane of the leather piece and outwardly toward said edge, and guarding the body portion of the leather adjacent to the jet from the action of the jet, whereby the untreated side of the mgrgin of the leather curls toward the heated s1 e.

26. The method of finishing the edge of a piece of leather which comprises subjecting the flesh side of the leather along the edge to a jet of burning gas under pressure directed downwardly at an inclination to the plane of the leather piece and outwardly toward said edge, guarding the body portion of the leather adjacent to the jet from the action of the jet, whereby the untreated sideof the margin of the leather curls toward the heated side, and subjecting the curled edge to pressure. 27.- Amachine for finishing the edge of a piece of upper leather having in combination means for feeding the leather piece, a plow forbending up the margin of the piece, means for directing upon the bent-u margin a small intenselyhot jet of flame un er pressure, and

a shield member arranged to confine the contact of the flame with the leather to a narrow area along the edge of the leather, there being a 'passageway t rough the plow and the In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification.

JOHN B. COFFEY. 

